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N.Y. gets a D- for ethics

At least it’s not an F. New York received a D- in a national report released Monday for its transparency and accountability, ranking it 30th in the nation as part of a so-called State Integrity Investigation.

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N.Y. gets a D- for ethics

Former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver arrives to the courthouse for his corruption trial in New York, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. The 71-year-old Manhattan Democrat was arrested in January on charges he took nearly $4 million in kickbacks. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)(Photo: AP)

New York received a D- in a national report released Monday for its transparency and accountability, ranking it 30th in the nation as part of a so-called State Integrity Investigation.

New York, which is mired in the corruption cases of its two former legislative leaders, was tied for the 30th lowest ranking with Florida.

But apparently 19 states were worse, the report through the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington D.C. based news organization, in conjunction with USA Today, a Gannett Co. Inc. publication, found.

“Beset by corruption, backroom deals and voter scorn, New York received a score of 61, a D-, placing it in a tie for 30th place nationwide,” the group’s report said.

The report, based on an assessment the group does nationwide, found that New York ranked last in the U.S. for its state budgeting – which has long been criticized for being controlled by the governor and the two legislative leaders behind closed doors, known as the “three men in a room.”

New York fared well in some other categories, though: first for its civil service management and first for internal auditing. It ranked fifth for lobbying disclosure and 10th for state pension fund management.

The bar may be low, though.

The overall best score in the nation was a C handed out to Alaska, and only two other states – California and Connecticut – earned better than a D+. Michigan had the lowest F grade.

The report comes at a tense time in New York politics.

Former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, is on federal trial in Manhattan over allegations that he received more than $4 million in kickbacks from two law firms in exchange for steering business to them.

The trial, which started a week ago, included testimony from one of the star witnesses, Dr. Robert Taub, a prominent Columbia University doctor.

Taub agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors and said he referred asbestos cancer patients to a law firm that employed Silver, who has pleaded not guilty, so it could seek multimillion-dollar settlements from lawsuits.

Silver directed $500,000 in state grants to a research center at the school headed by Taub, the doctor said.

“I gave referrals to Mr. Silver to maintain a relationship whereby he would help mesothelioma research and help these patients,” Taub testified, the Associated Press reported.

Former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, is set to stand trial Nov. 16. He and his son, Adam, are accused of using the senator’s influence to get his son lucrative contracts and jobs.

"New York is home to the safest, largest city in America," U.S Attorney Preet Bharara, who is prosecuting Silver and Skelos, said in a speech Jan. 23. "It should not harbor one of the most corrupt governments in the nation."

In July, then-Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, was convicted of lying to the FBI as part of a probe into whether he used his power to get his son a job at a Westchester County law firm. The conviction forced Libous from office, and his sentencing is Nov. 24 – when he could face up to five years in prison.

The various scandals in recent years has prompted state lawmakers and governors to enact tougher ethics laws.

The state, though, is still criticized for porous campaign-finance laws and a lack of oversight on lawmakers’ outside business dealings. In New York, legislators are allowed to have private jobs, which has been at the heart of many of the scandals.

Bharara has criticized Gov. Andrew Cuomo for shutting down a corruption-busting panel two years ago amid questions over whether Cuomo’s aides were steering the panel away from the governor’s office.

Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizen's Union, a good-government group, said hopefully recent laws will improve the system going forward. He pointed to that fact that the new legislative leaders, Senate Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, won’t accept outside income.

“While we are in a golden age of rampant corruption being uncovered, I think we’re about to turn a corner given the improvements in the law and important signs with the speaker and the majority leader no longer having outside income,” Dadey said.